Tom Slade on Mystery Trail

had been met at the wood's edge by Jeb with more scouts, a couple of visiting scoutmasters and a physician from the not far distant village. To Jeffrey, whose poor efforts had bee

r way down, the descent had been easier than the laborious journey in the dark the ni

had assumed responsibility for his injured uncle and in a way superintended the descent, perhaps it was natural too that the first-aid boy, who received a flattering comment

Oakwood, N. J., Troop, talking the thing over with Honorab

e hazarded the observation th

the uniform that gets people-specially girls. Gee, they all fall for

He worked after school all winter and he must have got a lot of money saved up, but when Roy asked him if he wasn't going to get a suit and things, he said he wasn'

d done should eschew the khaki regalia, the hanging jack kni

aved up. He's a thrifty soul and he sold the Friday Evening Pest all winter. It's got me guess

e was hanging on a thread, and that the thread was pretty sure to break. They took

s, and it was well toward evening of that first Sunday while they were waiting for supper, that the tension and

ere he spent practically the whole of the next day watching Garry unpack his luggage and reading the Scout Handboo

affecting an interest in the wealth and especially the boat, of which he was never weary of boasting. He seemed fascinated with this view of real camp life. What the boys really thought

felt moved to defend his hero against the plainer sort of abuse. The

of the Bridgeboro Troop) for his act of walking away with

patrol pennant outside his cabin as Jeffre

asked, as if that were rea

e scout replied, "but I'm no

pausing in front of the Silver Fox's cabin, where Roy Blakeley, Pee-wee Harris, and others of t

ing glory,

ld answer him," said Pee-wee; "come right b

thick one," he said, referring

up on oatmeal," said R

ned to get ou

g is it?

as a short circ

ha

said Roy. "Well, you got wished onto the large E

t next one?" Jeffre

. He has charge of the grounds-all

said J

said Roy, "belongs t

him so much,

got into a regular patrol," said Roy,

hence not having had the same opportunity to observe him

ving up there? What's the matter with you, anyway? I know fellows who'd be glad of the chance to get into the Elk Patrol. They've got the gold cross in that patrol, let me tell you-and sixteen m

Jeffrey, and doubtl

d you can't be a good scout walking away with somebody else's prize-you can't! You tell your patrol leader, or whatever you call him, to look in that little old Handbook and see if he finds

could on

lid gold?" he fin

turnips and a few potatoes. S

who was tugging a balsam branch t

pearing papers, for the Elks were a tidy lo

game?" Je

Dory. "What's going to be

have a name?"

gpie' would be a good one. They

me spirit of rivalry and of loyalty which now made Garry an outsider-ostracized for what the whole camp regarded as a piece of selfishness

, that he should have taken the strange boy under his wing so promptly, seeing that their homes were

night," said Connie Bennet, "even though he i

Turn," said Will Bronson, "even though we were crowded already

keep from choking!" added Roy, who

ie. "He's got this Jeffrey, or whateve

y," said Roy, as

tor was dead. It cast a shadow over the camp even among the many who had not seen the injured man

evale, neither knew much about Mr. Waring's home life. They agreed with Mr. Ellsworth that it would be in all ways best for this unfortunate nephew,

heir club and take them out in my boat?" Jeffr

boat," he added. "Undoubtedly it will be yours, but you mustn't try to run it by yourself. It would be all righ

ventured timidly to the visitors, whom the

r the boat, too?

ck; "and he's got a uniform and that's more than

ey, for whom they made full allowance, but Garry was ignored, and this was the unhappy sequel of his friend

ek to adjust differences between the scouts and so the golden days (which were a

st, had not altogether shunned Garry and he felt free to approach him. He found him teaching Jeffrey to

; "want to join the

llo, Raymond, how's the giant of the Hudson Highlands? I thought I'd dro

lar," said Garry, smiling a little. "Ho

ed in Scouting-so he can blow himself, Blakeley says-with a fancy cord and tassels and the names

oing to give him?"

ing to give him

ee

ght to see the antlers on it. He wrote to some ranch or other away out in Montana to sen

to know,"

ght for tracking. Jeb nearly fell off his grocery box when he heard that! He thinks you ought to go blindfold when you're tracking. Then there's a lot

od one," lau

. Pee-wee Harris is going to g

n't it?" asked Gar

ole history. You don't mind if I sit down on these bricks, do you

it. Make you

lakeley would say," laughed

ying," he added, as Raymond and Jeffrey obediently started off toward the lake. "I was afraid

duck, i

ds so's he could just live quiet and natural like and maybe get better. I've often heard my father talk about the woods being a medicine for the mind. Don't you remember there was some old duffer of a king who was cured that way-in some forest or other? I gues

ed at Garry

about this Tom Slade-

ught y

se, I've heard all about you and the Bridgeboro fellows last year-what good friends you were and all, and how Tom Slade went up through t

or us," said G

inking. The birthday dinne

re to take our places

ith Pee-wee-and, oh, I don't know, Tom and Blakeley sort of got me. That first night when you fellows were up the hill Blakeley spieled off a lot of stuff at campfire. He told us all about their trip up in the motor-boat last year and about the fellow

Ellsw

in him-'Back From Death' or the 'Mystery of the Busted

rstands Tom Slade ve

played-if somebody played a mean trick on-on-Doc Carson, for instance, the fellows

icks?" queried Garry, beginn

these fellows. They're all rich fellows and pretty well educated-you know what I mean. They made him a scout, and they're always on the watch for fear he'll see some difference. They're proud of him becaus

knowing what it is to be p

been pretty decent to you, too,

nk I don't

I think?" said Arn

ha

. Doc Carson's bug is first-aid-honest, I believe that fellow'd g

y la

or fellow that's been dead two years-an

th

nd your

t to me

is Raymond

a strong, healthy bu

w fellow, Jeffrey. You wanted to please Raymond. A

y sm

fact that Jeffrey

n't so

verson, and I don't want you to get mad. You know, Slade is crazy about his patrol and by all the rules of the

nk I don't

why not let T

isn't a

o anything you tell

est for him to stay r

rily. Garry wen

aid Arnold. "I thought maybe they were mistaken but I guess they're not. T

Tom sa

idea to turn Jeffrey over to the Elks on Saturday-as a birthday present to the patrol." Arnold waited a moment hoping Garry would make some reply. "Tom fou

have mor

do you

ing in pa

case of rendering unto Caesar the thi

do you

with Jeffrey Warin

on't," s

m for a moment, then turned